I was talking on my cell phone when I went into Dunkin Donuts today. Not wanting to be that guy who stands in line on his cell phone, I walked in and stood far away from the line near the doors. I wasn't even close to the cash registers. Apparently having nothing to do, the person at the register leaned over the register and called over to me: "Hello, how can I help you?" I smiled and pointed politely to my phone into which I was clearly talking.
Though this particular odd situation hadn't happened to me before, it reminded me of the times when you're standing in front of the billboard menu trying to think of what to order and you get hit immediately with the "What would you like today?" question. Now, if someone is behind you - I agree you should be ready to order or get out of the way - that's how fast food works. But if you're just walking in and not in front of anyone, you should be allowed a buffer zone of decision-making. I've definitely found myself awkwardly trying to read to just read the menu/decide without signaling I'm ready to order. This usually includes standing a bit back from where you'd normally order, looking strictly above the register at the menu making no eye contact with the employee, and putting a very quizzical almost confused look on my face (as if I've never seen a sub menu before). Even these gestures still often fail to signal indecision. I'm calling for a clear buffer zone.
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I second that motion. I don't care if you've seen me at your Mighty Taco five times this week and I've gotten the #8 combo every time, allow me the space to make sure that's still what I want.
Here in the land of the free we have it better, of course. Off in the wild lands of China you can't even look at a merchant's stand without them running out, grabbing your arm and asking, "Do you like it?"
As always, be thankful for your life of privilege Mr. Landyman. Sheesh.
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